Microsoft Study Attempts to Dispel Cloud Security Concerns

Jeff James

Mon, 2012-05-14 15:29

Concerns about cloud security have helped dampen enthusiasm for cloud computing among some IT professionals, a perception that Microsoft hopes to reverse with some findings from a study it recently commissioned. The study was conducted in India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States. Study participants consisted of small and mid-sized business (SMB) which were using (and not using) cloud services. Microsoft released the U.S. survey results today, and plans to release results from other countries in the next few weeks.

I spoke with Tim Rains, Director of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, and he suggested that the survey results prove that security -- rather than being a negative for cloud computing adoption -- is actually turning into a positive for cloud computing adopters. "This study shows that businesses that use the cloud get savings in time and money, but they also get increased levels of security," Rains said. "Security [concerns] have been a barrier to cloud adoption, but the study shows that users are gaining security rather than losing it."

The study shows that 35 percent of U.S. companies surveyed have experienced noticeably higher levels of security since moving to the cloud.1 In addition, 32 percent say they spend less time worrying about the threat of cyberattacks. U.S. SMBs using the cloud also spend 32 percent less time each week managing security than companies not using the cloud. They are also five times more likely to have reduced what they spend on managing security as a percentage of overall IT budget.